Alex Honnold's historic Taipei climb

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2026/02/01

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Alex Honnold's historic Taipei climb

Vocabulary Match

skyscraper •• motivates
made history •• very tall building
climbed •• set a new record
dangerous •• very risky
inspires •• went up
reached •• got to

Vocabulary Answers

skyscrapervery tall building
made historyset a new record
climbedwent up
dangerousvery risky
inspiresmotivates
reachedgot to

Article

Famous climber Alex Honnold recently made history. On January 24, 2026, he climbed the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan without using any ropes! This amazing event was shown live on Netflix. Honnold reached the top of the 508-meter building in only 91 minutes.

One exciting moment was when he climbed past large steel "dragons" on the building. He even tried to high-five some children through a window, but they were too busy taking photos! Although "free soloing" is very dangerous, Honnold says he does it because it brings him joy. He hopes his climb inspires people to follow their own big dreams.

Quiz

  1. What did Alex Honnold climb?
  2. When did Alex Honnold climb the building?
  3. How long did it take Alex Honnold to reach the top?
  4. Why does Alex Honnold do free soloing?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. He climbed the Taipei 101 skyscraper.
  2. He climbed it on January 24, 2026.
  3. It took him 91 minutes to reach the top.
  4. He does it because it brings him joy.

Conversation

A:Wow, Alex, you really climbed Taipei 101 without ropes?
B:Yeah, it was amazing! The view was worth it.
A:Did you really try to high-five kids through the window?
B:I did, but they were too busy with their cameras!
A:Haha, I bet they were surprised!
B:I hope it inspires them to chase their dreams, though!

Discussion

  1. Do you think Honnold is brave or crazy?
  2. How do you feel when you watch 'extreme sports' such as this?
  3. Have you ever tried rock climbing, bouldering, or similar activity?
  4. Can you think of other adventure sports? Would you like to try them?
  5. What big dream would you like to achieve?

Source Material

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/alex-honnold-skyscraper-live-result/

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